Community comes together to support teachers in efforts to bring code and computational thinking into the classroom.

Vancouver, BC - October 4, 2016. 200 teachers from across BC and Ontario will participate in Code Class, a one day coding and computational thinking crash course.

Coding education experts Lighthouse Labs have partnered with Kids Code Jeunesse, a nonprofit dedicated to empowering kids and teachers through code and the Computer Using Educators of BC (CUEBC) to host the inaugural Code Class on October 22nd. Code Class is a free, full-day workshop designed specifically for K-12 educators that aims to introduce educators to computational thinking and inspire them to bring code into the classroom. It will support teachers by removing barriers and fostering an understanding of computational thinking, technology and basic code.

With the introduction of code into the new ADST curriculum across BC, organizers believe that it is more important than ever to invest in our teachers and to give them the tools and resources needed to bring code into the classroom. “Lighthouse Labs is proud to support teachers across Canada,” says Jeremy Shaki, Co-Founder at Lighthouse Labs, “We believe that great education great education starts with great, passionate, teachers and grows from there. It's our job to reduce the intimidation and barriers and make this fun, easy and relatable.”

K-12 teachers of all subjects who attend the 2016 CUEBC conference can participate in this free-of-charge one-day workshop held at School District 43’s École Riverside Secondary School in Port Coquitlam. Over two dozen software developers from local technology companies will mentor participants during the workshop, and no previous coding experience is required. “By educating children with the tools needed to create and communicate within the 21st century, we are providing them with the skills need to build their own future success.” says Kate Arthur, Founder and Co-Director at Kids Code Jeunesse.

Participants are expected to bring their own laptop to the event; Internet connection and lunch will be provided. Code Class is supported by Lighthouse Labs, Kids Code Jeunesse, the Computer Using Educators of BC (CUEBC), City of Toronto and Panago Pizza.

For more information about Code Class, visit www.codeclass.ca.

About Code Class. Code Class is a Canada-wide initiative by Lighthouse Labs, Kids Code Jeunesse and CUEBC that aims to empower educators with computational thinking for the classroom in a fun and accessible learning environment. This free, full-day workshop is designed specifically for K-12 educators. Code Class will focus on supporting teachers and students by fostering their understanding of computational thinking, technology and basic coding.

About Lighthouse Labs. Founded in 2013, Lighthouse Labs is an immersive, modern approach to teaching web and mobile software development. With a hands on curriculum built by a community of industry experts, Lighthouse Labs focuses on transforming passionate people into agile programmers. Lighthouse Labs maintains unprecedented employment rates of over 95% within 3 months of graduation, and has graduated over 500 students into amazing careers.

About Kids Code Jeunesse. Kids Code Jeunesse is a Canadian not for profit organization dedicated to empowering kids, teachers and parents with the skills we all need to thrive in a technology driven society. We believe that coding is a basic literacy as important as reading, writing or math. By teaching kids how to code we teach them how to be better thinkers and better creators in a digital world.

About CUEBC. CUEBC is a Provincial Specialists' Association (PSA) of the British Columbia Teachers’ Federation (BCTF). They are an organization of British Columbia volunteer teachers dedicated to promoting the educational uses of technology in the classroom. CUEBC hosts the premiere educational technology conference for BC teachers every October and continues this support year-round through technology initiatives and inquiry projects around the province.